Feels Like Home: Girls Gettin' Gorgeous!

This is it! The first of my wedding recaps. Are you all as excited as me? Probably not.... but you should be! Jenn and Paul from Emily Waid Photography captured some amazing images throughout the entire day, and I can't wait for you to see them!

We'll start at the beginning - Getting Ready! We got ready in a salon down town that Josh helped renovate. Since he does architectural drafting, the salon owner came to him for some drawings. He incorporated the archways you'll see in some of the pictures and made sure everything ran smoothly. I LOVE the feel of this salon - very rustic meets glam. Perfect for our wedding!

Getting ready was so much fun. I loved having the people that mean the most to me around for the entire morning. We could talk, laugh, and relieve a little stress. It was just what I needed for the morning!

At this point, my hair and make up was done, but I was less than impressed with my make-up application. I had paid to have a girl in another salon do it, and I was surprised when she pulled out her own stash of make up. Nothing professional quality at all. If I had wanted that, I would have done it myself! So I ended up doing quite a bit of touching up. (I think the streaks on my forehead are from the chandelier lighting... I don't remember having such awful lines on my face!)

My mom got a little choked up... about every ten minutes. 

And she fidgeted with her hair about every ten minutes, too.

My stepsister, Heather, getting her hair curled!

Erin, finally getting a chance to do her own make up!

Josh's sister, watching from a distance while the rest of the girls get their hair done.

Chandeliers and authentic tin stamped ceilings throughout the entire salon. Perfection!

My oh-so-adorable flower girl, Grace. She's 6 years old, and by the end of the night she told her mom that this  "was the best day of her entire life" :) I agree, Grace.

Bridesmaid Ashley :) A newlywed herself!

I passed our guest book around so my girls could write in it before they got too busy. The notes they left are some of my favorite :)

I think Bridesmaid Erin did everyone's make up before she even had a chance to do her own!

I loved my sister's hair. It was so chic without being "formal" or stuffy.

A nice shot of the whole salon - it had such a relaxed feel, and we were lucky to have the whole place to ourselves.

Don't you just love old buildings? Or are you more of a modern salon person?

Up next - Heading to the church!!

Teasers...

While I'm sifting through the millions of photos we have, here are a few teasers from our photobooth/"faux"tobooth.

Most of these were taken towards the end of the night... if you know what I mean ;)

This was absolutely SO much fun, and for such little money. I highly recommend using a fauxtobooth, with props, if you want some hilarious pictures of you and your friends at your wedding!

All photos by Emily-Waid Photography

They're HERE!

That's right, folks! Our wedding pictures are here! Before I start "formal" recaps, I'll leave you with just a few of my favorites from our shots after the ceremony and before the reception:

I guess I'll throw in a pic of the guys...

Sorry, but I have the MOST gorgeous wedding party ever!

How perfect is that blue wall? Love!

My great grandpa's tractor, and my grandpa's barn in the background. I love this picture, not only because it's awesome, but because of the sentiment in it.

I adore each and every single one of those girls :)

Photos by Jenn of Emily Waid Photography - she's aaaaamazing!

Much, much more to come :)

ArtPrize!

The other day I posted about Grand Rapids' world wide art contest - ArtPrize! On Sunday, Josh and I, along with his parents, went to check out lots of the amazing art entries this year.

The Top 10 were announced last Thursday, so we tried to see as many of them as we could. I think we saw 8 of the top 10... plus some that were amazing but didn't get top billing.

On the bus heading downtown. They have a deal where you can park at one of the places (Frederick Meijer Gardens)  and catch a bus down to where the majority of the exhibits are.

My in-laws :) 

Big monkeys dangling from one of the foot bridges. They were so much fun!

Ocean Exodus - one of the top 10 entries.

Under Construction - another top 10 entry. These guys are live statues!

I don't remember what this is called (so sorry!!) but it's made out of tiny plastic tubes filled with  bbs (beebees?) . I thought it was amazing how lifelike this person made little plastic balls look!

Can you guess what this sculpture is made out of?

Toothpicks!

This picture does not do it justice. This is the world's largest portrait made from SEQUINS! It's so glittery and fun - a definite favorite of mine.

Lots of people outside of The BOB

Let me explain - I used to show Jersey cows when I was little.  My grandpa had a small farm :) Josh's family raises Holsteins (the omnipresent black and white cows), so we have a little running competition about the better breed. Clearly Jerseys are better - they made it in an Artprize entry!

I think this is my absolute favorite. It's a top 10 entry called President Ford Visits Artprize. Present Ford  is well -loved in West Michigan, and this wax sculpture was drawing a huge crowd. It's so lifelike, and such a fun concept. Mrs. Ford's wax sculpture is in process (on the far left of the photo).

Again, this picture does not do justice to this massively impressive work of art. This is a mosaic entitled Crucifixion. Yes, it's made of teeny tiny little pieces of tile. It's impeccable, and also a top 10 contender. Many people are saying it's going to win. You can't tell from the picture, but it's HUGE - about 2 stories tall is my guess. So beautiful.

Fun woven rainbow paper

I loved this massive installation of cut paper. It was SO meticulously done - I can't imagine the hand cramps from  the X-acto knife!

Close up of the cut paper installation

This was a series of panels made from copper, bronze, and blood. So interesting, and yet, kind of disturbing.

Cast iron frying pan map! Gives a whole new meaning to 'panhandle,' doesn't it!

 

These three pictures are another top 10 entry - Grizzlies on the Grand. They're so cute!

One direction looks like a fist, and the other looks like a person bending over backwards. 

Two different entries - 1,000 flowers made from recycled and painted water bottles in front of a massive car!

A Close up of another top 10 entry - Rain. I LOVE this piece. It's tiny pieces of paper strung together and hung from  the ceiling. It's got beautiful movement and the paper reflects the light just like raindrops in the sun. It also turns in a circle, giving it so much dimension. 

Josh liked the Lego man :)

This oil painting was SO unbelievably life-like. It looked like a scene out of Toy Story or something. Impeccable!

Rusty the Junk Yard dog is another top 10 entry. He's made from recycled found metal and objects. Super cute! He even has a ball that he's chasing through the lawn :)

This is my former college's window. At first I thought it was shattered, but it was an Artprize entry! This is made from glue and watercolor. It's so lifelike in person; I had to touch it to convince myself it wasn't real!

If you see something you like, please please please go to Artprize.org to learn more about the artist. I feel awful about not having the full names of the pieces and artists - they definitely deserve SO much credit for all of their hard work.

What types of art do you like? Abstract and far out, or realistic and tangible? Are you a painting person or do you prefer sculptures?

Irony is a Bitch.

I'm reviewing my business resume this morning, and come across two distinct typos. They're located directly underneath the section in which I sing my own praises at my proficiency with English grammar and proofreading.

Ha.

www.instantattitudes.com

Happy Monday, everyone!

I realized I haven't posted much about Diesel, our dog. Josh and I sit around all the time laughing at him because he has such a unique, strange personality. We often comment on not knowing what we did for entertainment before he came around. Here are a few pics of our boy:

I tried to do a little photoshoot with him in the yard a few weeks ago.

He was less than thrilled. This is his annoyed look. Notice his ear that stands up more than the other  :) We call it his special ear... lol. Yeah, we're dorks. 

I was trying to take pictures of him, and he thought he was in trouble for some reason.  Any time he thinks he's  done something wrong he puts his head down, his ears go back, and he rolls over on his back, usually on top of whatever he's done (like digging holes in the yard, or tearing up a piece of paper)

He often does this stupid stretch thing, where he puts his butt way up in the air. It's cute the first  few times, but it SO annoying when you're walking behind him in a confined space (like a hallway) and he decides to take a few minutes and stretch. It's like UGH just MOVE already!

Loves his Frisbee! Hands down the best $.99 I've ever spent at Petsmart!

Josh and his dad were planting our unity tree from the wedding, and Diesel thought he needed to lay right on top of the dirt pile so he could watch the action. He kept running through it and kicking dirt up onto us innocent bystanders :)

I never thought I was a dog person until Josh surprised me with him one Sunday morning. He's so much fun and we are so happy to have him!

Tell me about your pets! Or, are you a no-pet person?